Spartans barely hang on

Buckeyes rally, but fall in OT

Ohio State's Amir Williams (23) dunks over Michigan State's Matt Costello (10) during the first half of Tuesday's game in East Lansing, Mich. The Spartans topped the Buckeyes 72-68 in overtime.

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Keith Appling made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 29 seconds left, and finished with 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds to help No. 5 Michigan State beat No. 3 Ohio State 72-68 in overtime Tuesday night after blowing a 17-point lead in the second half.

The Spartans (14-1, 3-0 Big Ten) led 55-38 and the Buckeyes (15-1, 2-1) forced overtime with a 20-3 run to close regulation.

Ohio State entered the day as one of six unbeaten teams in Division I.

Aaron Craft's three-point play with 2:02 left in the second half, and his layup – after throwing an inbounds pass off Adreian Payne's backside – with a minute left pulled Ohio State within one. Payne made one of two free throws on the ensuing possession, allowing Amir Williams' putback dunk with 19 seconds left to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Ohio State scored the first points of the extra period, taking its first lead since it was ahead 19-17, but gave up some pivotal 3-pointers.

Michigan State redshirt freshman Kenny Kaminski made a season-high third 3-pointer to break a tie with 2:40 left in overtime, and Payne connected on a shot beyond the arc on the Spartans' next possession.

Appling made two free throws with 14.4 seconds left to give Michigan State a three-point lead, and Ohio State's Marc Loving missed an off-balance 3-pointer with 3 seconds left. Appling made one of two free throws with 1 second to go.

The Buckeyes had a season-high 21 turnovers, leading to them not having a double-digit scorer until there were fewer than 4 minutes left in regulation. Sam Thompson finished with 18 points, including six straight late in regulation, and Loving scored 10 points.

Payne didn't start because of a right foot sprain, but was healthy enough to play 32 minutes and score 18 points. Gary Harris scored 13 points for the Spartans, the first team to score 70-plus points against Ohio State this season.

No. 9 Iowa St. 87, No. 7 Baylor 72: DeAndre Kane had a season-high 30 points with nine assists, eight rebounds and five steals as No. 9 Iowa State rolled past No. 7 Baylor in Ames, Iowa, setting a school record with its 14th straight win.

"He's a mismatch nightmare out there, when you have a guy who is 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, strong as an ox and he's experienced," Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said of Kane, who transferred from Marshall in the offseason. "He's a smart player."

Melvin Ejim added 18 points for the Cyclones (14-0, 2-0 Big 12), who outscored Baylor 47-34 in the second half and rolled to a surprisingly decisive win over a fellow Big 12 title contender.

Kane had 17 points in the first half, helping his struggling teammates take a two-point lead. The rest of the Cyclones got on track early in the second half, blowing past the Bears with a 28-12 run to secure their most impressive win of the season.

Gary Franklin and Brady Heslip both had 15 points for Baylor (12-2, 0-1), which saw its win streak snapped at six games.

Green Bay 98, Chicago St. 62: Dixon native Matt Ross scored 18 points for the Cougars in a home loss to the Phoenix.

Keifer Sykes and Alec Brown combined for 41 points for Green Bay (12-3). The Phoenix shot 55.9 percent from the field and controlled the boards, pulling down 47 rebounds, compared to 26 for the Cougars.

Creighton 81, DePaul 62: Doug McDermott scored 19 points and played after an injury scare to his left shoulder, keeping Creighton unbeaten in the Big East Conference with a win in Chicago.

McDermott, a two-time consensus All-American, briefly left the game with 1:24 remaining in the first half after appearing to jam his left shoulder after colliding with DePaul's Peter Ryckbosch.

DePaul (8-8, 0-3) was led by Brandon Young's 24 points, and also got 16 from Cleveland Melvin. DePaul shot just 40.4 percent (23 of 57) on its way to its fourth loss in five games.